Viktor Gyokeres to Man United transfer plan as swap deal for Erik ten Hag signing a 'serious option'

Manchester United are planning to make a move for Sporting CP hotshot Viktor Gyokeres - and could offer Joshua Zirkzee as part of a player-plus-cash deal in return.

Ruben Amorim's appointment at Old Trafford has increased speculation that Gyokeres might follow him from Portugal to the Premier League. Gyokeres had been in sensational form under Amorim at Sporting, scoring 23 goals in 18 matches this season - a record in which included him firing a hat-trick against Manchester City.

Sporting president Frederico Vandaras revealed on Monday that he doesn't think Gyokeres will leave in January but did hint at a summer departure, admitting that he "can't promise anything". It has also been reported that Gyokeres will be allowed to depart for £63million next summer, despite having a £83m release clause in his contract.

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And now, according to Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing, United are 'ready to make their move' for the Sweden international. It's added that United are joined by the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the race for Gyokeres, who joined Sporting for £16.7m from Coventry in 2023.

If United make a concrete attempt to sign Gyokeres, it's reported that the club could offer Zirkzee to Sporting in the process. The 23-year-old Dutchman has struggled for form since arriving in Manchester for £36.5m from Bologna in the summer, scoring just once in 16 matches across all competitions.

His future is already in doubt and Daily Briefing claim that a move to Sporting is a 'serious option' for Zirkzee. It does remain to be seen how much Zirkzee would knock off the reported £63m United might have to fork out to sign Gyokeres, but it could prove to be an astute deal for Amorim if he wanted to give it the green light.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, who led United to three wins and a draw from his four matches as interim head coach over his two-week spell in charge, defended under fire forward Zirkzee earlier this month.

He said: "Josh came in and he's a young player with a lot of potential. He is a typical No.9 in the sense that his hold up play is very good, he's very strong in combination play. He's a different type than Rasmus [Hojlund] because Rasmus is more of a No.9 who plays high up the pitch and he's getting in the back of defenders.

"Josh is more of a player who is coming toward the ball and gets the team playing. In the Crystal Palace game, I thought he was excellent and showed one of his best performances."